Liquor sampling cell



`lune 1, 1937. G. NONHEBEL ET Al.

LIQUOR SAMPLING CELL Filed April 4, 1935 rMm G MME y.; m M mm oo ,G KJWd Patented `lune 1, 1937 LIQUOR. SAMPLING CELL Gordon Nonhebel and Robert Arthur Bell, Norton-on-Tces, England, assignors to Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, a corporation of Great Britain Application April 4, 1935, Serial No. 14,678 In Great Britain April 25, 1934 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the design of liquor sampling cells in which it is desired to measure continuously some property of a liquid containing suspended solid matter. Such a liquor is Very likely to silt up the sampling cell so that representative samples are no longer obtained. 'I'he object of the present invention is to overcome this diiculty.

According to the invention we provide a sampling cell consisting of a circular vessel into which the liquor is fed tangentially, the base portion of the vessel being tapered to a minimum at its lower end, so as to form, for example, a frustrum of a cone or hemisphere. The liquor Ais fed continuously into the cell at -a velocity preferably between 2 and '7 feet per second. The velocity should be such that a continuous swirling motion is imparted to the contents of the cell to prevent undue sedimentation but not so great as to damage any delicate pieces of apparatus protruding into the cell, or to cause a vortex, which would result in a substantial portion of the liquor leaving Vthe cell from an emergency overflow branch which would not normally be used as an exit for the liquor. The normal exit branch for the liquor preferably takes the form of a vertical stand pipe passing through the base portion of the cell to a height at which the liquor level in the cell is to be normally maintained. In operation the liquor stream is divided into two portions, the one overflowing through the stand pipe past the measuring device and the other passing through the lower end of the cell so as tovremove all settled material and to prevent silting up of the cell.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing which i1- lustrates diagrammatically a form which has been successfully employed in conjunction with a pH recorder for testing liquor which is circulated through a nue gas washing plant. The liquor to be sampled is run continuously through a pipe L about '1/2" bore into the vessel U, which may be of any convenient size, for example, 6 in diameter. The liquor iicw is controlled by plug cocks at B and/or at B1. The inlet A is situated a short distance above the top of the conical section of the vessel U but below the measuring elements which protrude into the cell. The vessel U is fitted with an underflow pipe E which may be 1/2 bore and an overow pipe D, which may be 1 bore. G is an emergency overflow. All discharges are preferably led to a tundish T which should be open so that the iiows may be observed. In the case of a fuming or odorferous liquor, this tundish may be closed and special devices such as glass tubes Would then be required to indicate that the liquor is flowing from both E and D.

In order to prevent silting of the cell, it is important that the Valve or cock at E should be fully open and present an unrestricted path for the flow of the liquor. Consequently, if it is desired to reduce the quantity of the underow v temporarily it is necessary to t a smooth tapered extension piece F to the pipe at E.

Flushing of the sample line L and of the cell U by fresh` water can be conveniently carried out by the insertion of a branch with a control valve C to connect to a supply of clean flush liquid. A plate P is fitted so as to prevent the measuring apparatus protruding into the cell being damaged during cleaning of the underow branch by the insertion of wire or the like.

The top of the cell U may be closed inby a lid containing holes for the insertion of the measuring device. is integral with a box M covering these instruments and contains short branches HH into which corks carrying the instruments may be tted. Thus in they present example the branches HH are tted with thermometer K, glass electrode bulb J andcalomel cell branch N, and the box M may contain the stands for the calomel cells, Wiring and potentiometer. In order applications the cell U may containv electrodes for measurement of the conductivity, or devices for measurement of density, viscosity etc.

We claim: l

1. A liquor sampling cell for investigating the physical properties of turbid liquids comprising a circular vessel having a valved tangential liquor inlet located at a substantial distance above the bottom, an overflow located at a substantial distance above said liquor inlet, and a substantially central liquor outlet at the bottom, said vessel being of continuously diminishing cross-section between said inlet and outlet, such diminution of cross-section being adapted to prevent any appreciable amount of sediment lodging in the vessel.

2. A liquor sampling cell as claimed in claim l, in which said overflow is provided by a vertical stand pipe passing through the base portion of the cell and extending to a height in the cell above the tangential liquor inlet.

3. A liquor sampling cell comprising a hoppershaped circular vessel having a valved tangential liquor inlet located at a substantial distance beloW the normal liquor level in said vessel, an

In a preferred form this lid f overflow pipe controlling said normal level, and a substantially central liquor outlet at the bottom of said vessel, said outlet having a portion of substantially uniform cross-section containing a control valve.

4. A liquor sampling cell as claimed in claim 3, in which the said hopper-shaped vessel has a lid provided with stoppered holes adapted to allow measuring instruments to project therethrough Without risk of liquid splashing through said lid. 

